Charles Trenet

 Artist: Charles Trenet

LP: Le Coeur de Paris [10" EP]

Song: "Le Coeur de Paris (The Heart of Paris)"

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Song: "Chanson pour Noel (Song for Christmas)"

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I got most of my Christmas shopping done downtown yesterday, though I was waylaid for a good chunk of minutes by some exciting vinyl distractions at Holy Cow Records in Seattle's famous and historic Pike Place Market. This 8-song 10" EP by Charles Trenet, perhaps the very Frenchest of French male singers, is one of the things I found—it features a cover-drawing by Jean Cocteau! Trenet's record was in the dollar bin, probably because the cover was so worn it had actually split into two separate pieces. But after putting it back together with some invisible tape I had on hand for wrapping presents, it looks almost as good as new. You can read all about Charles Trenet's lengthy and enduring career on Wikipedia here—including details about the time he spent in prison in 1963 for corrupting the morals of four 19-year-old men (as if the morals of 19-year-old men can be corrupted) and about how he went to Hollywood after WWII and became buddies with Charlie Chaplin. You will also learn that Charles Trenet composed some of France's most well-known songs, like "Boum!" and "La Mer," and that he hated math. "Le Coeur de Paris" features Charles doing a little whistling along with his singing, and the second track posted here is one that Trenet wrote especially for Christmas. Biographical and individual track notes are included below. I like that Charles' cows speak French. "Bon jour!"

Charles Trenet on YouTube:

[ "Boum!" ]

[ Charles Trenet: May 18, 1913 — February 19, 2001 ]

Walt Jacobs

Artist: Walt Jacobs

LP: Santa's Own Christmas

Song: "Stories About the North Pole"

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Song: "Up on the House Top"

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The holidays are here! As far as I can tell, this Walt Jacobs Christmas record was designed to help ween adolescents off Santa Claus by making him seem socially undesirable. I mean just look at the cover—you can practically smell the liquor from here! Still, it's obvious Walt had good intentions, even if he can't carry a tune. There's lots to read about Capitol Records' big plans for this Yuletide release in an article from the November 11, 1967 issue of Billboard magazine below, along with a personal note from Santa Claus.

 [ Walt Jacobs ]

Bella Rudenko

Artist: Bella Rudenko

LP: Ukrainian Hit Parade

Song: "Solov'inyi Romans (Ballad of the Nightingale)"

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Here's a chirpy little spring-like ditty from Ukraine for a cold, grey, and moist December evening in Seattle. As you can see for yourself in the LP notes below, "Ballad of the Nightingale" was composed by Anatoly Kos-Anatolskyi; that's V. Anatonov working some fast-fingered flute magic, and the dramatically gifted Bella (or Bela) Rudenko does the warbling. You can read this lovely Ukrainian coloratura soprano's possibly outdated and ideologically biased biography here, and go here to ponder whether or not this could be the very same Bela Rudenko who's currently on staff at the Moscow P. I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory. I wonder why these kinds of songs never make it to the United States of American Hit Parade. One of the best things about this record is the woman on the cover who's sticking out her tongue.

Bella Rudenko on YouTube:

[ "Les Filles de Cadix" ]

[ Bella Rudenko ]

Eavesdroppings

Overheard when: 6:36pm on Sunday, November 25, 2012
Overheard where: In the lobby of the Varsity Theatre — 4329 University Way NE in Seattle, WA [map]
Overheard who: Three slightly-past-middle-aged men discussing Leos Carax's new film HOLY MOTORS after the 4:20pm screening.
Overheard what: 
Man #1: "This was one of those films where you wish you had the director there to tell you what he was trying to say!"
Man #2: "I think the entire film was a metaphor." 
Man #3: "So when the guy was dressed up like a leprechaun, running through the graveyard eating flowers...what was that a metaphor for?"

The DiMara Sisters

Artist: The DiMara Sisters

LP: Italian Songs Mama Never Taught Me 
(Le Canzoni Che Mamma Non Mi Ha Mai Insegnato)

Song: "Il Solletico"

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Since my last posting I've started a new job, I went on several lousy dates, I finally watched THE DARK KNIGHT RISES at the cinema, and I've kicked leaves down sidewalks on crisp, sunny days throughout my favorite month of the year—October! My doldrums are in storage and I'm riding high with this cheery, giggly (some might even say gay) ditty by the lovely and talented DiMara Sisters on the console. Notes are included below, and you can hear more from these charming sisters at an older posting here.

 

[ Italian Hairstyles Mama Never Taught Her ]

Turley Richards

Artist: Turley Richards

LP: Turley Richards

Song: "But Came the Dawn, and Then Goodbye"

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Song: "I Heard the Voice of Jesus"

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After listening to this self-titled 1970 LP by Turley Richards, it's hard to understand why he isn't as well known and revered as similar singers of the era like Tim Buckley and Nick Drake. Born in Charleston, West Virginia in 1941, Turley was blinded in the left eye in an archery mishap when he was just four years old (his friend was supposed to shoot the arrow into the pillow that the bent-over Turley was holding over his ass...don't ask—this is West Virginia, remember). Though he eventually lost sight in his right eye too after the infection spread, Turley still had his voice. And what a voice! He's pure liquid velvet on "But Came the Dawn, and Then Goodbye," which he wrote himself. Turley then shows off his dynamic 14-octave range in "I Heard the Voice of Jesus," wherein he leads listeners over vocal peaks and valleys before finally shooting straight for the moon. The song peaked at #99 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1970. You can read a little about Turley Richards on Wikipedia here, and then visit his website here to find a brief preview of his life story before his autobiography, "BlindSighted," hits the shelves. There are photos of Turley Richards performing with friends earlier this month here, and if you're fortunate enough to live in Louisville, Kentucky, you can catch this incredible singer/songwriter performing at Chubby Ray's this Saturday night, or on Saturday, October 6th at Clifton's Pizza.

Los Telefonistas

Artist: Los Telefonistas

LP: Cancion de un Estudiante Enamorado / Cuando Quieras Regresar

Song: "Jesse de Teran"

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You're the winner! You're the viewer of my 1,000th blog post! When I was looking at the cover of this 1981 record by Los Telefonistas earlier today, I noticed the different ways that the two estudiantes enamorados were holding their libros. It reminded me of an incident at the end of one particular summer many years ago, when I was about to enter junior high school. My mom noticed I was holding my schoolbooks in my arms folded across my chest, and she warned me that I was carrying them like a girl.

She instructed me that the way boys carried their textbooks was to hold them against their side at the hip, cradled in one of their hands.

I was grateful, since I certainly didn't want to make my Wilson Junior High School debut carrying my books like a girl! I wanted to carry them like a boy! I hadn't really thought about that little bit of parental advice over the years until today, but I have to say that it seems pretty damn messed up that there are actually gender-specific ways of carrying textbooks! I'm starting Spanish classes at North Seattle Community College next week, and not only will I finally find out what a "Telefonista" is, but I'm also going to make a point of carrying my schoolbooks like a girl.

 

[ Los Telefonistas ]

Kaye Ballard

Artist: Kaye Ballard

LP: Boo Hoo-Ha Ha

Song: "Nobody's Heart"

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Song: "Little Kid Sister"

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As the flip-floppable cover of her 1961 LP implies, versatile entertainer Kaye Ballard presents two opposing moods on this record—boo-hoo and ha-ha—represented by "Nobody's Heart" and "Little Kid Sister," respectively. Everybody knows Kaye Ballard. Maybe you've seen her on Match Game or The Muppet Show. You might know her from The Mothers-In-Law with Eve Arden, or maybe you remember her early days with Spike Jones. Perhaps you caught her cabaret show, Doin It For Love, which premiered at the historic Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas earlier this year. But, of course, I know Ms. Ballard best as Angie Pallucci, who, with her husband Louie, owned the Italian restaurant downstairs from Doris Martin's San Francisco apartment on The Doris Day Show. You can read about this fantastic lady's life and career on Wikipedia here, and visit her website here to read even more, buy her autobiography and new CD, look at lots of neat Kaye Ballard photos, and a whole lot more! For the legendary and elusive Angie Pallucci Hungarian-Italian stuffed cabbage recipe, click here.

 

 

Isabelle Aubret

Artist: Isabelle Aubret

LP: Isabelle Aubret

Song: "Les Moulins"

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I wasn't familiar with this charming chanteuse before stumbling across her self-titled 1966 LP down in Tacoma several months ago. Born in the summer of 1938 in Lille, France, Isabelle Aubret won the French national gymnastics championship at age 14, she won the Eurovision Song Contest for France ten years later, and then fifty years after that she won my heart. I'd like "Les Moulins" to be the soundtrack to my life this autumn, even if I just lay in bed the entire time. Slated to play the starring role in Jacques Demy's 1964 film THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, Aubret had to put everything on hold after being involved in a terrible auto accident from which she took several years to recover. She suffered a similar setback after breaking her legs (all of them!) while rehearsing a trapeze act with boxer Jean-Claude Bouttier in 1981. She came through it all though, and she's still going strong. You can read about the life and career of Isabelle Aubret on the Radio France International website here, and if you parlez-vous français you can find more info on her official website here. Click the link below to see Aubret performing her 1962 Eurovision award-winning hit. 

Isabelle Aubret on YouTube:

[ "Un Premier Amour" ]

Ray Conniff

Artist: Ray Conniff

LP: I Will Survive

Song: "I Will Survive"

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I was going through my albums again this weekend, clearing out the "ho-hum" to make way for the "wow!" when I came across a secret stash of Ray Conniff LPs. I figured I'd chuck them all, since there's a GoodWill up the street where I could easily acquire multiple copies of any of Ray's 90+ albums released between 1956 and 2000 if I ever really began to miss them. But after giving another listen to Ray Conniff and his singers' rendition of Gloria Gaynor's 1978 disco anthem, this 1979 LP ended up back on my shelf. Indeed, it has survived. (The record also includes a wonderfully terrible version of "Music Box Dancer"...with lyrics!) You can read all about the life and career of the prolific Mr. Conniff on Wikipedia here.

[ Ray Conniff: November 6, 1916 — October 12, 2002 ]

The Osmonds

Artist: The Osmonds

LP: Phase-III

Song: "My Drum"

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This album is kinda' scary, 'cause we all know what comes next. Anyone else suspect that "hit my drum" might be a euphemism?